The Neighborhood Services Division and the Golden State Warriors

Present...

Oakland Community Night

Bring your family and friends to Oakland Community Night and cheer on the

Golden State Warriors as they take on the Denver Nuggets!

To purchase tickets please visit: Warriors.com/Oakland

For more information, contact Nick Smith at

(510) 986-2247 or via email at nsmith@warriors.com

Friday, October 24, 2014

7:30pm

Oracle Arena

7000 Coliseum Way

Friday Night Live

Neighborhood Services Division

Inside this Issue

Community Victory In Chinatown

Friday Night Live

Citizens Academy Graduation and

Resolution

National Night Out 2014

Neighborhood Watch Steering Committee

There is No Rose without a Thorn

This summer’s Friday Night Live series has been another huge success. We

have had exponential growth in the number of youth attendees, and have

also seen an increase in the number of Latino participants. Amenities such

as jumpers, the Black Cowboys, face painting, theater performances, mural

design, and basketball have drawn families from all over West Oakland.

Each week between 100 and 160 residents come engage with one-another,

and also get to take a look at the

nascent West Oakland Youth Center.

Written by Dylan Hamilton

Community Building Coordinator—

West Oakland

(510) 238-2164

dhamilton@oaklandnet.com

Upcoming Event

There is No Rose without a Thorn Community Victory in Chinatown

Community Victory: Youth can no longer frighten

elderly citizens in Chinatown

Enough is enough! One particular 14 year-old juvenile repeat offender and his gang had threatened Downtown and Chinatown. They targeted vulnerable Asian seniors and either violently robbed or carjacked the seniors. On Memorial Day

weekend, he was arrested again trying to carjack an elderly in Chinatown. As a matter of fact, this juvenile had been arrested by OPD more than a dozen times. Yet the juvenile system would release him. And almost every time he would return to Chinatown to commit more crime.

Frustrated by the court’s slap on the wrist approach, the Chinatown NCPC took the lead to start a petition drive to urge the Judge to punish this juvenile to the fullest extent of the law and issue a stay away order.

At the July NCPC meeting in Hotel Oakland, more than a hundred attendees signed the petition. Many residents and business volunteered to help get signatures and at the end the community gathered over 300 signatures to submit to the District Attorney’s Office and the Juvenile Court. They also submitted two victim impact letters written by Chinatown NCPC and Oakland Chinatown Chamber of Commerce. The loud and clear community voice was resonated with the Judge and that particular juvenile was sentence to a group home in Pennsylvania for 18 months on July 25. It is a victory for the community and the Chinatown NCPC applauded the Court’s decision and more importantly the community wishes the young man could reform himself away from the bad influences on the mean

streets here that made him a criminal.

Photo caption: Seniors were

signing petition at the July

Chinatown NCPC meeting.

(Courtesy Jessica Chen of World

Journal)

Neighborhood Services Division in the Community

There are four huge “Stop Signs” erected at the intersections of Alice Street at 9th Street and 10th Street. Drivers now definitely have to stop and yield to pedestrians at the two intersections, where fast cars used to drive through without paying too much attention to the bright yellow pedestrian crosswalks, which many children and seniors cross everyday. What brought the unprecedented “Stop Signs” to Oakland’s Chinatown? It took the sacrifice of a human life, the dedication of the victim’s family and a

community bonded by the tragedy.

In September 2013, a grandmother was struck and killed by a truck after taking her grandchildren to school at 9th and Alice Street. Devastated by the tragedy, the victim’s family channeled their sorrow into action to promote pedestrian safety. The family asked the Chinatown Neighborhood Crime Prevention Council and Asian Health Services for help. An emergency community meeting was set up that involved City Council President Pat Kernighan and Transportation Services Manager to listen to community concern on pedestrian safety. 1,800 petition signatures were presented to the City at the meeting demanded for traffic safety improvement. Many residents also volunteered to help the Traffic Engineers do a survey to count pedestrian and vehicle traffics at hotspots on the weekend. As a result, City Council approved funding to set up the Stop Signs and Transportation Services reconfigured the two three-lane one way streets to make it possible to install the signs.

“It is a community victory,” said Carl Chan, Chair of Chinatown NCPC, “and the devotion of the victim’s family was instrumental in turning a tragedy into a positive conclusion.” Indeed, when people come together, we have the power

to turn bad things into good things.

Community Victory in Chinatown and There is No Rose without a Thorn written by: Written by Sun Kwong Sze Neighborhood Services Coordinator (510) 238-7957 ssze@oaklandnet.com

Neighborhood Services Division Educating the Community

Citizens Academy Graduation and Resolution

On June 23, 2014 the 8th Citizens Academy graduated from a six week course where as Oakland citizens they learned how to engage with their City government by providing an interactive forum to learn first-hand how the City of Oakland is structured and managed; what the City’s relationship is to Alameda County, the Oakland Unified School District and other public agencies; what services and programs are available through City Agencies; how to access needed services; and how to apply this knowledge by serving as an information resource and advocate for neighborhood associations, non-profit groups and local businesses. On July 15, 2014 the graduating class was presented with a ceremonial resolution during a City Council meeting.

“The Citizens Academy launched my new level of interest in “how things work” and “how to get things done” in Oakland. We are so fortunate to live in a city that has figured out a way to present this material with an array of relevant, engaging and caring speakers. We started the course as a group of strangers and I now look forward to any future work together”, said Sandi Padnos, 8th Citizens Academy graduate.

The Class was of great benefit to me and my family. Already we have utilized the services of the Oakland Assistance Center on three occasions and got great results. The class inspired my husband and I to immediately take Community CPR with an excellent OFD trainer, and we are signed up for CORE. In this class, we had plenty of Q and A time with the Mayor, Councilperson, City Auditor, Police Leadership - who gets a chance to do that? Also, I now know who the right person or office is to call when something needs to get done. You will get amazing insight into our diverse and fascinating City and come away with respect for the genuine care and devotion our City "Helpers" are so committed too, said Cheryl Rubinstein, 8th Citizens Academy graduate

"This is a Class that anyone wishing to be involved in their neighborhood, associations, council, run for political office or appointment to any Board or Commission should take. This class should be a requirement as a basis for involvement as a resident of Oakland." said Nancy S. Sidebotham, 8th Citizens Academy graduate and community activist

The Citizens Academy is Free and open to any Oakland resident who has an interest in city government, how it serves its residents, and how a community of informed residents can improve the city. For more information on future classes please contact Edith Guillen, Citizens Academy Coordinator at eguillen@oaklandnet.com or 510-238-7159.

Neighborhood Services Division Community Programs and Meetings

National Night Out

Neighborhood Watch Steering Committee

Did you know the City of Oakland is the founder of Neighborhood Watch and is a nationally recognized program? Neighborhood Watch groups are overseen by the Neighborhood Watch Steering Committee (NWSC). This committee is a group of volunteers from different parts of Oakland that meet monthly to discuss community trends, plan workshops for block captains and help answer any questions pertaining to Neighborhood Watch. Their goal in the upcoming months is to train block captains on a couple of departments in the City.

The Neighborhood Watch Steering Committee (NWSC) is hosting the following upcoming events: September 8, 2014/6:30 p.m.-Block Captain Networking event for

Areas 4 & 5. Areas 4 & 5 cover police beats 23 to 35. The event will be at the Eastmont Substation, 2651 73rd Ave.

September 22, 2014/6:30 p.m.-Area 4 & 5 Block Captain training. This

training will also occur at the Eastmont substation. Your NWSC members are:

Angela Haller-Chair Colleen Brown-Co-chair Nancy Sidebotham Josephine Lee Frank Castro Marlon McWilson Judith Ann Christopher Melanie Wallace

Written by Renee Sykes Neighborhood Services Coordinator (510) 238-7929 rsykes@oaklandnet.com